“Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy.”
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
In 7th grade, we started prepping for Confirmation. I was blessed to have a Catholic school education, so the extent to having to pick a Confirmation Saint was a bit more in-depth than that of my friends who went to CCD. What I mean by this, is that I was “forced” to care. I don’t fully remember feeling excited, nervous, confused. I just remember being told that Confirmation was important, and that I had to pick a saint to lead me through my adult Catholic life. I didn’t know a lot of saints, but the ones I did know where the most “popular” ones – the ones that everyone else picked. And the other ones I knew were ones that had similar names to mine, so I couldn’t pick those. It’d just be too similar and nothing special. And because I was told this saint would be my saint forever, I needed to pick one that meant something to me.
So the search began. It was stressful, as you could imagine. All that pressure to find that “perfect” saint was something I wrestled with for weeks. Time was running out, and I vividly remember searching for female saints a few days before I had to turn in my selection. I was upset; I couldn’t find “the one.” It was like an early dating-process, and a stressful one, at that. I was picking the saint who would be in my name, the one who adorn my neck in the ovular shaped pendant, the one who would be decorated and represented on my banner as I walked down the church aisle, the one whose name would be read out loud when the Bishop confirmed me. It was a lot of pressure.
My mom actually found St. Faustina for me. That’s my saint, by the way. I remember being incredibly confused by the name; it sounded weird.
I liked it.
And I liked her.
The image of Merciful Jesus was one I had seen for as long as I could remember, and I was always mesmerized. It was… just so beautiful. Jesus was pouring out so much from His heart; how couldn’t you be in love with the Lord? So between the beautiful image of Christ and the weird name I knew no one else would pick, I chose St. Faustina.
The Bishop winked at me the day I was confirmed. He was Polish, and my dad thought this wink was a huge deal because He did it with no one else. Little did I know that St. Faustina herself was a huge deal.
The phrase “Jesus, I trust in you” is one I forgot about for many years. Truthfully? I forgot about St. Faustina for many years. As I struggled with my relationship with Jesus, I thought that everyone else holy – Mary, God, the saints – took a bit of a lower level of, dare I say, priority, in my life. So, I forgot about her.
But she didn’t forget about me.
After all, we kind of chose each other. And she sure was holding up her end of the saint-deal.
In all the moments of my life I fell short, God offered His mercy. And as the patron saint of mercy, St. Faustina, as patron saints and saints in general lovingly do, interceded for me in the moments I needed this gift most.
And God showed His mercy. Abundantly, fully, and lovingly.
Even when I don’t trust in Him, even when I’m impatient, unkind, doubtful, apathetic, ignorant, sinful, and merciless myself, I’m shown abundant, full, and loving mercy from a God Who knows no limits to this gift.
In my own life, I’ve shown mercy and have been shown mercy. I haven’t shown mercy and others haven’t shown it to me. And on these days where I need to show it and receive it, I can turn to the saint, the intercessor, who was chosen by Christ Himself, to share this message of mercy with me.
Mercy is needed in our world; it starts with allowing God to work through me. Since the greatest attribute of God is mercy, as St. Faustina says, in attempts to model my life after God, I, too, must be merciful. When I ask God and others for their mercy, I am asking them to show me relief from my misery – be that pain, sin, or hurt. I need mercy when I sin. I need mercy when I fight with loved ones. I need mercy when I seek to put myself and worldly possessions above the Lord. And when I show mercy to my kids I work with at my job, my family, friends, or even complete strangers who catch me in conversation, I am using this virtue to relieve their hearts of this misery, in whatever form it takes. It’s as though the chains holding you back have been lifted. It’s like birds flying. It’s the heart healing. It’s freedom. Through mercy, there is freedom. Surrender to Him. When you open up and show your heart, God will show you His.
Mercy.
Divine Mercy Sunday: a reminder that we need God’s grace and forgiveness – His mercy. We need it. And He wants to give it to save those souls who need His mercy most. So today, take a moment to reflect – thank the Lord for His mercy, a mercy which overthrows the depth and pain of sin. When we can’t go to Confession, when we can’t receive the Eucharist, and when we can’t go to Mass during this pandemic, keep asking the Lord for His mercy. It’s yours. And thank others for their mercy. Make the effort to give it as freely as the good Lord gives it to us.
And if you need a little help showing and being shown mercy, call on St. Faustina. She’s got you. After all, that’s what saints are for.
“And fear nothing, dear soul, whoever you are; the greater the sinner, the greater his right to Your mercy, O Lord.”
St. Maria Faustina Kowalska
Below are four wonderful articles I’ve spent a great deal of time reflecting on as I prepared for today. Hopefully, you find them as helpful and beautiful as I do!
Divine Mercy Sunday: What’s This Feast All About, Anyway?
What to Do on Divine Mercy Sunday
